


Look Forward

by MaiKusakabe



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, BDSM, Come Eating, Dirty Talk, Explicit Sexual Content, Fix-It, Kinks, M/M, Not Really Time Travel, Portgas D. Ace Lives, Precognition, Sex Toys, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:28:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22744789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaiKusakabe/pseuds/MaiKusakabe
Summary: Ace's assassin days on the Moby Dick are interrupted by a very detailed, very disturbing dream that sends him on an unexpected path after said dream bleeds into reality.He'd like to just kill Whitebeard and be on his way, but it seems the world has different plans in store for him.
Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace
Comments: 42
Kudos: 370
Collections: In Memoriam: A Portgas D. Ace Collection





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> Here I am with the first chapter of my contribution to the In Memoriam: Ace event over on tumblr. Due to some life issues, and the fact that stories like to grow when I'm not looking, I have decided to make this a chaptered fic instead of a long one-shot. I'm afraid I still have a few scenes to finish, and what is already written is in sore need of a revision or two.
> 
> Keeping to the event's parameters, this entire story will be posted over what is left of February. So, for once in relation to me, you can look forward to frequent updates :D

_“Thank you for loving me…”_

Ace’s eyes snapped open, and he was sitting up before he could even process he was awake.

_Was he?_

He had a trembling hand pressed to his stomach, had pressed it there at some point, and pulled it away when he realized he was doing it.

Of course he was awake. That had been just a dream. A stupid, very detailed dream. No doubt it had been brought on by the Whitebeard Pirates’ insistence that Ace should join them.

Clearly, they were getting to him somehow. They were as persistent as Luffy had been as a child.

Luffy’s face flashed through Ace’s mind. Not the seven years old who had insisted on following Ace and Sabo everywhere. Not the fourteen year old Ace had left behind. No, Ace saw Luffy as he had been in that dream, seventeen and running through hell.

Ace shook his head violently and threw his pilfered blanket aside.

As though _that_ would happen. Oh, Ace didn’t doubt Luffy’s stubbornness, nor his lack of self-preservation instincts. But there was no way that scenario could happen, because there was no chance in hell Ace would ever join the Whitebeard Pirates.

Perhaps Ace should leave. Get away from this ship before these people could worm their way under his defenses even more than they seemed to have managed already.

But no, Ace chastised himself. He couldn’t go. His crew was here, for some reason willing to interact with the Whitebeard Pirates. _Whitebeard_ was here, and there was a reason Ace had risked so much to face him.

* * *

Whenever he could, Ace swiped the day’s newspaper from whatever trashcan around the ship where he could find one. He may be a prisoner —admittedly in a strange situation— on this ship, but that was no reason to ignore what went on in the world. Who knew, maybe something big would happen one of these days that would be helpful in his quest to kill Whitebeard. A war with a fellow Yonko might provide the right kind of distraction.

The main news, printed in larger blocks of text and over the first few pages of the newspaper, were uninteresting, but he froze when he reached a tiny corner article on page six.

_Scientist Caesar Clown arrested after murder attempt on Dr. Vegapunk_.

Ace remembered that article. He had read it, before, and had wondered how much of the article’s contents were the truth, and what must have happened for the World Government to decide to reveal any news on their scientific efforts that wasn’t glowing praise full of propaganda.

He read the article, and found exactly the information he had expected to be in it.

Ace shook his head.

No, he hadn’t read this article before, certainly _not_ in that stupid dream. This was obviously a case of déjà vu, nothing else.

Two days later, Caesar Clown’s bounty was released after his escape from the ship that was taking him to Impel Down.

Three hundred million beli, Ace knew before checking the number.

* * *

His intention was to rush through the deck, but someone called out a greeting to him. That was common, people always insisted on being nice to Ace here, but Ace always ignored them. Until now, when, for some reason — _that stupid dream_ — he stopped and turned as though it was an ingrained reaction for him to respond to those calls.

He found himself looking at a group of pirates, gathered around as though they had been chatting, but Ace’s eyes were immediately drawn to the figure perched on the ship’s railing.

Marco the Phoenix.

Marco had kicked Ace’s ass a few times—

_—Wrapped his arms around Ace’s neck—_

—Whenever he decided the old man needed his sleep and it wasn’t a good night for one of Ace’s assassination attempts—

_—Stubble scratching against Ace’s chin as lips moved over lips, tongues tangling as Ace delved in deep—_

Ace shook himself violently.

Marco the Phoenix was number two in Ace’s list of people he wanted to see dead on this ship. _That was it_. He was handsome, sure, Ace wasn’t blind, but that didn’t mean Ace had any interest at all in him. Absolutely not. Ace’s interest went as far as to learn how to get past those fucking blue flames of his to finally defeat him. He most certainly didn’t want to _pin_ —

Ace snarled at Marco, making a point to meet his eyes, before he whirled around and stalked off.

“Dude, that kid has some serious anger issues,” someone said, voice coming from that group.

Ace should have known better, he really should have; but before he could stop and think about it he had turned around and punched a stream of fire in that direction. There were some very satisfying cries, but a whirl of blue fire blocked his attack before it could deal any real damage.

Next thing he knew, Ace was on his back, a very unimpressed Marco sitting on him with a hand pressing Ace’s torso down to the floorboards.

Something in Ace’s stomach twisted, and it took him a moment to realize the look in Marco’s eyes was actually _disappointment_.

“Get off,” Ace demanded, his frown so marked he could feel the creases in his own brow.

Marco didn’t move away, instead leaning down and closer to Ace.

“That was a dirty move,” Marco said, and fuck, but Ace had always disliked that tone. He always felt as though there was a knot in his chest when Marco used it on him.

No, he _didn’t_. He had never even _heard_ that tone before.

“And?” Ace spat. He reached up to try and dislodge Marco, but Marco’s free hand darted in and caught Ace’s wrists, slamming them into the floor over his head in short order.

“You’re a little shit, but you’d never attacked anyone who couldn’t hold their own against you,” Marco said, his voice cold and still sounding as disappointed as his eyes looked. The knot in Ace’s chest grew tighter.

Ace tried to shove Marco off by using his hips, but it of course didn’t work and instead he ended up rubbing against Marco in a very… inadequate way. It was fortunate the crewmembers around were too busy keeping their distance to see a thing, though Ace caught himself feeling disappointed that Marco did not react to the move.

_What the fuck?_

“Was aiming for you,” Ace said finally, not quite a lie. The words had triggered his attack, that was true, but it was Marco’s presence that had put him so on edge.

Marco stared him down for long moments, and Ace couldn’t take his eyes off him as he did. Finally, Marco released Ace’s wrists.

“Next time, attack when I’m alone,” Marco told him, and it was such a bizarre statement that Ace stayed there, lying speechless on the floor, until Marco had disappeared from sight and people were coming out from their hiding spots.

_What an arrogant asshole._

* * *

After his run in with Marco, Ace redoubled his efforts to kill Whitebeard to no avail. He got punched through walls and into the sea time and time again, and people laughed at his attempts as though he was no threat to Whitebeard’s life, which only served to infuriate Ace further.

Right now, he was in the low level storage room he was currently sleeping in, naked because he had been forced to take his clothes off to set them to dry.

He sat on his small pile of stolen blankets and pillows, the morning’s paper folded in his right hand. Hopefully, there would be something in the newspaper that would distract him until his clothes were somewhat drier, though he didn’t hold much hope, given the paper’s standards for what made an interesting article.

He opened the paper to the cover page, and the large picture on it felt like a punch to the gut.

Light hair — _blue_ — and determined eyes. Younger, but so clearly the same person

_An article on the newspaper, barely a footnote for his thoughts during his time attempting to kill Whitebeard. A missing princess._

_Luffy’s crewmembers, a ragtag group of kids, stood around deck, watching him and Luffy interact for the first time in three years. Ace’s eyes landed on one of the girls, a blue haired teenager that looked vaguely familiar, as though he had seen her somewhere in the past. She was smiling, but the set of her shoulders was tense, as though she carried a heavy burden. Clearly, something was going on with the crew right now._

_The same girl, four days later, on the newspaper’s cover. Princess Nefertari Vivi of Alabasta, back from her disappearance right on time to stop the civil war that Crocodile had caused in her country._

It wasn’t possible. It made no sense. Ace had never paid much attention to the world, not until the time for his departure from Dawn Island had approached and he thought knowing a little about the situation in the world would be a good idea. He hadn’t been to Alabasta during his time in Paradise, had never even heard of the royal family of Alabasta.

Apprehension twisting in his stomach, Ace slid his eyes up, to the headline sprawling above the picture in bold, thick black lettering.

_Princess Vivi of Alabasta, missing._

The newspaper fell from his now limp hands, sliding to the floor as Ace shoved his hands over his face and into his wet, dirty hair.

“What the fuck?” he whispered, looking down at the newspaper. Nefertari Vivi smiled up at him from her black and white picture.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as it turns out, life has a fantastic knack for being an absolute pain in the ass. I haven't had much free time for a whole week, and what little free time I did have... well, let's say I've decided to create an One Piece Fanzine. My little computer time has been spent on putting together an [interest check for the zine](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3Td1IOgkFU2v1raHBhIjtsE6Sq7zVj4H24RdN5tfNQwJl9w/viewform) and a [Graphic design/Layout mod application form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSctFds2ipgJPxWCECJO0mBEnAzlw3ZhFnG8PdhlfbyXpmIYKQ/viewform). I am not sorry. I had wanted to make a zine for months, and the idea finally coalesced a few days ago. Not much information can be found on the [zine's tumblr blog](https://romancedawn-zine.tumblr.com/) yet, because, as I said, my computer time has been limited, but it's all planned already, and the zine team nearly complete. Hope you guys will be interested :)
> 
> That said, here is chapter 2! You may have noticed the chapter count has been modified. That is because I've decided to keep chapter lengths similar to the first chapter, instead of the original chapter divisions I had made. The count might go up one or two chapters, if I end up writing an epilogue that is half-formed in my mind right now. So no, this story will not be completed by the end of the month. But, let's be real here: is anyone surprised?

That morning Ace caught himself making his way to the mess hall. He froze in the middle of the hallway, hesitated, and turned around brusquely when someone greeted him.

So what if the contents of that dream were proving to be less imaginary than he had thought? That didn’t mean Ace had to let such a freakish, exceedingly realistic dream dictate his choices. He had known about certain events before they happened, that was true, but there was a difference between accepting that —and Ace still wasn’t sure he did— and letting that dream influence his actions.

Even if it turned out the Whitebeard Pirates were a nice a lot —a nice lot that _wouldn’t give a fuck about his parentage_ by the end— that wasn’t reason enough for Ace to abandon his convictions.

Ace refused to think about Whitebeard choosing to stay at Marineford to let his crew escape. _All because of Ace_.

Ace held onto this decision for a week, until the accursed article on the blond officer of the Revolutionary Army called _Sabo_ came out.

* * *

Marco’s plan for the night had been to settle in bed with a nice book he had bought himself at the last island. That was until he sensed a very familiar presence advance through the hallway.

Sighing, Marco closed his book and set it aside. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and didn’t bother to put on his sandals before he stood up.

Marco wanted a quiet night in, which didn’t go in hand with one of Ace’s assassination attempts, a few broken walls, and the numbers that Marco would be forced to do in order to arrange to have the walls fixed. No matter how often they tried, no one could convince Pops to thwart Ace without destroying the ship in the process. Pops claimed that crashing through a few walls built character.

Thus, in order to keep his peaceful night in, Marco had to stop Ace before Ace reached Pops’ room.

Ace halted before Marco reached the door. Right on the other side of said door.

There was a pause, and then came a firm knock on the wood.

_That’s new._

Curiosity piqued, Marco reached out and pulled the door open. Ace stood facing him, shoulders set and a determined frown on his face. Marco half-expected an attack, given the incident from a couple weeks ago, but Ace just clenched his fists and met his eyes.

“I have to talk to you,” he said, sounding… not pained, exactly, but extremely reluctant to be here at all. Nervous as well, perhaps, though Marco didn’t know Ace well enough to be sure of that one.

“Okay,” Marco agreed. He took a step back to let Ace in.

Ace marched into his cabin like a man heading for his execution. He looked around and his frown deepened for some reason as he took in Marco’s somewhat messy room.

Marco closed the door and deliberately walked back to his bed, hoping that having the path to the door clear would help Ace keep a hold of whatever temper he was in. Marco didn’t fancy having his cabin destroyed, thank you very much.

“So,” Marco started, once he was seated and it didn’t look like Ace was going to speak, “what is it?”

Ace turned to look at him, grimaced, and shoved his hands into the pockets of his tattered shorts.

“Okay. Listen, I know this is going to sound weird as fuck, but it’s driving me nuts and I need to get it out,” Ace began.

Marco nodded, very curious about what could make a reckless guy like Ace this jittery.

“I’m listening,” he said. Marco hoped, though not too fervently, that Ace approaching him with his problems was a sign that he was finally giving in to the crew’s efforts. Marco could listen, and he would help to the best of his ability. He was good at that.

“Right. So, I had a dream about two weeks ago,” Ace said. He fidgeted in place, but appeared too high-strung to accept the offer of a seat. Marco didn’t bother to offer. “It was weird, real weird, and felt way longer than I think a dream should. I would’ve ignored it, _wanted_ to, but then shit from the dream started happening.” Ace fidgeted again, as though he wanted to look away, but kept his gaze firmly locked with Marco’s.

Ace’s story was odd, certainly, but he was also clearly unsettled. Marco had no doubt now that Ace was nervous, thrown off by what was happening, and Marco didn’t believe him a good enough actor to feign this level of discomfort. Besides, this was the Grand Line. Strange things happened often.

Ace moved again, glanced back at the door, and Marco realized he had been silent for too long.

“I see,” Marco said before Ace could speak. “And you think I can help you check if this dream of yours is somehow true?” It was a guess, but it was the best explanation for Ace’s presence here.

Ace nodded.

“Why?” Marco asked, unable to help himself. So far, his interactions with Ace could be divided into two categories: attempts at friendliness on Marco’s part that ended rudely, or murder attempts on Pops that Marco interrupted and ended with an enraged Ace and very short fights.

Ace’s grimace was to be expected. He sighed, brought his right hand out of his pocket, and shoved his fingers into his hair. He met Marco’s eyes again before he answered.

“In that dream, I eventually joined the crew. You convinced me, actually. We grew pretty close after that and I learned some stuff about you. Stuff I couldn’t know if you hadn’t let me. So, I want to tell you what I think I know, and if I’m wrong, just forget this happened.”

“And if you’re right?” Marco asked, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward.

Ace’s frown lessened for the first time since he had entered the room, and he gave Marco a conflicted look.

“I don’t know,” he said, sounding lost.

That was more than Marco would have expected Ace to admit.

“Okay,” he said, and straightened up on the bed. “Go ahead.”

Ace nodded brusquely. He swallowed, and apprehension flashed in his eyes for just a moment. Now _that_ was interesting.

“You’re a slut,” Ace blurted out. “You like sex rough, but you rarely indulge in most of the things you enjoy on islands. There’s no one on board right now you feel comfortable with _and_ who would be up for it. You tried with Thatch a few times, but he wasn’t as into it as he thought he would be.”

_…Well._

Marco wasn’t sure what he had expected to hear, perhaps some childhood stories or embarrassing adventures. Certainly not _that_.

Ace was right. Marco had some friends on certain islands, but few he trusted enough to know they would keep their mouths shut about certain activities. Some rumors were fine, encouraged even, but there were things best left private, and anything that would make Marco’s enemies think him weak fit that category. As for Thatch… well, his interest had been more theoretical than practical, and they had chosen to remain friends after a few weeks of awkwardness.

“Interesting,” Marco said, and he couldn’t help the grin that took over his face. “But just to be sure you actually know what you’re talking about: any more details?”

Ace’s eyes opened wide, and his jaw slackened. He stared at Marco for a long moment, before he snapped his mouth shut and his shoulders lost some of the tension in them. He smirked, and made a deliberate show of looking away from Marco and focusing on his nightstand. On the bottom drawer of his nightstand.

“You have a small collection in there. Lube, some butt plugs, a couple cock rings, a cock cage… no restraints, though. You prefer to hold any position by yourself. You also use some toys the days you’re stressed out; they help you stay grounded.” Ace turned back to look at Marco. Ace had relaxed considerably as he spoke, and the look in his eyes made it clear he had more than a passing knowledge of what was in that drawer. “Using anything right now?”

Marco shifted in place, his pants now feeling slightly oppressing.

“No,” he admitted, and swiped his tongue over his dry lips.

Ace’s smirk widened.

“Pity. They look great on you.”

_Well, fuck,_ Marco thought, a thrill running up his spine at those words.

Two could play this game.

Marco leaned back, resting his hands on the mattress, and his open shirt fell back over his sides. The bulge in his pants was rather prominent like this, and Ace’s eyes flicked downwards before returning forcibly to focus on Marco’s face.

“Seems your dream was more than a product of your imagination. So, what now?”

Ace’s eyes swept over him quickly before he shrugged. It was a nonchalant gesture, but the expression on his face recovered some of its previous tension.

“No idea.”

Marco hummed and tilted his head sideways.

“You could leave thinking for tomorrow, test how accurate that dream was first.”

Ace didn’t look surprised at all by that suggestion, and Marco briefly wondered how they had gotten to this in that dream —it wasn’t common for Marco to even think of trusting people with details of his sexual preferences.

Ace raised his eyebrows at him, and brought his other hand out of his pocket to gesture at Marco.

“Clothes off.”


	3. Chapter 3

Even after having confirmation that his dream wasn't some sort of strange fantasy, watching Marco the Phoenix stand up and follow his order was still surprising and exhilarating. The way Marco took hold of his shirt and slid it slowly to his elbows, brushing fingers over skin as it was revealed, reminded Ace of unwrapping a present. A present for _him_.

"What is your safeword?" Ace asked, though he already knew the answer. He was determined to prove himself a good partner. In this, it didn't matter that Marco could shake him off and knock him out under any circumstances. Now that Ace knew that dream was true, he didn't just want one night. He was a pirate, and pirates thrived on selfishness. Ace wanted Marco, he wanted to have him the same way that dream version of himself had.

"Shichibukai," Marco said promptly. His lidded eyes hadn't moved from Ace, focusing on his face and then roaming over his body before returning to his face again. Ace liked that attention, liked to know Marco was focused on him as he lowered his pants, that Marco didn't break eye contact when his fingers brushed his hard cock, nor when he bit his bottom lip after deliberately stroking himself before he continued on his task.

Ace maintained that eye contact as he walked over to the bedside table. He ran his eyes down Marco’s body when he sat on the bed so he could reach the second drawer. Marco was hard, the head of his cock glistening while Ace’s cock wasn’t near the point he needed to remove his pants. Ace kept his eyes on Marco’s cock as his fingers closed unerringly around what he was looking for despite the lack of items that had been there towards the end of his dream. A shock of cold shot up his arm, and Ace gestured Marco over with his free hand.

Marco came over, settling between Ace’s legs when he parted them for him. Marco’s eyes had strayed down to the drawer, as though he could see what Ace had picked through his closed fist. Ace reached up with his free hand to cup one of Marco’s firm buttocks, and he squeezed it without checking his strength to draw Marco’s attention back to him.

“Eyes on me,” Ace said, a warning in his voice, and Marco’s eyes snapped back to his face. Ace could get high on this, having such a powerful man willingly obey him like this, _wanting_ to obey him. He grinned. “You know,” Ace started, voice conversational, as he slid his hand off Marco’s ass and over his hip, “I was surprised when I learned you enjoyed this thing.” He didn’t give Marco time to answer; Ace took hold of his cock and slipped the kairoseki cock ring on it with an ease learned in slumber.

Marco gasped, and a full body shiver shook him.

Ace wrapped his right hand fully around Marco’s cock, and twisted it while applying slightly too much pressure as he ran it up the length. Above him, Marco took a shaky breath.

“Kneel,” Ace said, and Marco dropped to his knees with the grace of long practice.

Ace raised his hands, one up into Marco’s hair, and the other around his shoulders to cradle the nape of his neck. Ace leaned forward to rest his forehead against Marco’s.

“I’d love to fuck your mouth,” he breathed out, and watched Marco’s blown pupils expand the slightest bit, “but I wouldn’t last if I did, would I? You’re too good at sucking cock.”

Marco didn’t reply verbally, but the way he licked his lips and glanced down at Ace’s crotch was answer enough.

Ace huffed out a laugh.

“Yeah, you’d love that. But no.” Ace tightened his grip on Marco’s hair, earning a soft moan for his efforts. “Show me, Marco, what do you do if you can’t use your safeword?”

Marco reached up to rest a hand on Ace’s bicep. He tapped a quick sequence of three deliberate presses with his index finger into the skin there. Ace nodded his satisfaction and leaned forward to crush his mouth over Marco’s. Fuck, he’d wanted to do this since he first saw Marco after the dream, he could admit as much to himself now. Marco’s mouth yielded under his, allowing Ace to set the pace and lips parting when Ace ran his tongue over Marco’s bottom lip. Marco’s mouth was familiar, so familiar that Ace knew every corner of it, knew that spot on the roof of his mouth that made Marco melt the slightest bit; knew how to twist his tongue around Marco’s own so Marco would moan into his mouth.

When Ace pulled back, they were both panting, and he once more leaned his forehead against Marco’s.

“I won’t fuck your mouth, but I want to see your face all messed up,” he said. He released Marco’s hair to reach into the drawer again. “So plan B it is.” He pulled back enough to show Marco the ball gag. “Open up.”

Marco opened his mouth wide, letting his eyes fall shut as Ace secured the gag around his head. His tongue darted around Ace’s fingers the best the gag would allow as Ace adjusted the ball behind his teeth to make sure it was comfortable.

Ace huffed out another laugh.

“Shit, you’d really do anything to have something to suck on,” he breathed out, a tinge of awe in his voice even though he’d already known. It had seemed so impossible, the first time Ace thought of approaching Marco. He dropped a hand to squeeze Marco’s cock again, and Marco moaned around the gag. A trickle of saliva slipped down his chin, and Ace realized Marco was making no effort to swallow it back.

Ace laughed his surprise, and he stroked Marco’s cock twice.

“Up on the bed. On all fours,” he instructed. Marco moved, but he didn’t bother to slip around Ace. He pushed himself up on his knees and crawled over Ace’s thigh, rubbing his cock over Ace’s leg in what he was certain was a deliberate move. Ace turned his head to watch Marco settle in on his hands and knees, legs spread open, head bowed so he could watch Ace through the gap.

Ace stood up and shucked his clothes off as quickly as he could, his cock now slightly uncomfortable despite the looseness of his pants. He bent down to pick a half-empty bottle of lube from the drawer before he climbed on the bed behind Marco. He knelt there, left the bottle to one side, and reached up to take Marco’s buttocks on his hands and pull them apart, putting enough pressure on his grip to draw an unintelligible sound from Marco.

“You know what?” Ace said after a moment of consideration. “I want you to hold these open for me. Face on the bed.”

Marco let his upper body fall on the mattress, head turned sideways, and reached back with his hands. Ace let go to allow him to take over holding his buttocks and picked up the lube. He coated two of his fingers, then reached forward and ran them down the crack of Marco’s ass. He brushed over Marco’s hole, but didn’t stop to pay it any attention despite Marco bucking his hips back at the contact. He stopped his fingers at the skin under Marco’s balls, rubbed them over the sensitive spot until he drew a moan from Marco that was loud even through the gag, and then pressed down with a fingernail. Marco’s hips jerked, and his next moan was strangled and had him pressing his face down on the mattress, uncaring of the puddle of drool that had begun to grow there.

Ace grinned in satisfaction and repeated his path in the opposite direction, but this time he stopped to circle Marco’s hole teasingly with the pad of his index finger long enough that Marco started to push his hips back into the contact.

“Desperate, aren’t we?” Ace teased right before sinking that finger into him, down to the second knuckle. Marco’s ass tightened around it before he relaxed with the quickness of someone used to it, and Ace watched him close his eyes in an expression of pure pleasure.

Ace began to move his finger, in and out and slowly circling in as wide a circle as he could manage with a single finger. He rose up on his knees to fold over Marco, and lowered his head to trail a path of suckling kisses and bites down his back. Marco was moaning and gasping now with little pause between reactions, and soon he was pushing back against Ace’s hand, a silent plea for more. Ace obliged him, withdrawing his finger and pushing the two he had lubed up all the way in immediately afterwards.

“You know,” Ace started, moving to lap his tongue over Marco’s shoulder, “if I didn’t want you in the kairoseki, that would’ve been my cock.” He parted his fingers, twisting them around as he pushed Marco’s ass to loosen up further. Marco was looking up at him, want written all over his face as he panted around the gag. “You’d recover in no time, would be begging for me to move, to fuck you hard.” He’d seen it, his dream self pounding into Marco with no care for Marco’s comfort, Marco begging him for more as that devil fruit of his prevented the pain from crossing into the realm of too much. “And I will do it,” Ace promised, “I’m going to fuck you so much you’ll need a plug up your ass when I’m not to feel comfortable.”

Somehow, Ace managed to time his words with the moment he found Marco’s prostate, and the way Marco moaned and bucked under him, ass pushing back into his hand and legs falling further open to either side of Ace’s, was enough to burn any notions Ace had held of dragging this out. He sat upright again and pulled his fingers out long enough to lube them again and include a third one, which he pushed immediately back into Marco’s ass. Marco moved with him, keeping Ace’s fingers in deep as much as he could manage around Ace’s movements, and then he clenched around them, once, twice, and let out a deliberately loud noise that wasn’t quite a moan.

“If you insist,” Ace said, as though he hadn’t wanted to forgo the third finger altogether for a second there.

He pulled his fingers out, picked the lube again, and coated his own cock before he lined up behind Marco, holding onto his hip with the hand that wasn’t on his cock. He went in slow, despite Marco’s earlier demand and his own need to just slam in to the hilt, because Ace wasn’t an asshole and Marco was cut off from his powers. It was excruciating, every inch he pushed inside required his full concentration to stop himself from moving faster as the heat and pressure of Marco’s ass enveloped him. Once he was all the way in, Ace had to rest his head on Marco’s shoulder to gather his bearings, painfully aware of how close he already was to coming after months of forced abstinence.

He raised his head and was met with a glare from Marco that sent him a very clear message: _move_.

Ace snorted, and ignored Marco’s demand in favor of bringing his hands up to the back of Marco’s head. He undid the clasp keeping the gag in place, and pulled it down and off Marco’s face.

“You’re going to need your mouth,” Ace told him with a grin.

“Am I?” Marco gasped out, voice hoarse but still managing to come across as flirtatious. From what Ace remembered, it took a lot to render Marco incapable of speech.

“Oh, yes,” Ace said, moving his hands to Marco’s hips. He slapped Marco’s hands away. “Back on all fours.”

He didn’t wait for Marco to comply before he started moving, setting a hard pace that saw his cock back out of Marco’s ass save for the head only to slam back inside as quickly as he could. Marco got his hands under his body in between thrusts, and soon he was moving back to chase Ace’s hips, his moans and groans louder now the gag was no longer there to muffle them. They’d found a rhythm, though Ace hadn’t really been aiming for one, and his thrusts grew faster.

Ace knew he wouldn’t last long, so he reached around Marco’s hips, took hold of the ring and grit his teeth against the sudden rush of cold from touching the kairoseki. He pulled the ring off, tossing it away without looking where it landed, and immediately brought his hand around Marco’s cock. Two strokes later, Ace gasped at the first clench of Marco’s ass around his cock. He dropped his other hand to cup it around the head of Marco’s cock to gather as much of Marco’s come as he could, and halted his hips in an attempt to stop himself from being dragged into his own orgasm as Marco spasmed around him. Marco’s groan was low and pushed out through clenched teeth, and Ace had the vague thought that his dream self had been right in liking that particular sound so much.

Once Marco relaxed around him and his body sagged somewhat, Ace slid his cleaner hand back to hold Marco’s hip, and brought the other one up to Marco’s mouth.

“Open up,” he ordered, and Marco’s mouth fell open over his palm, licking at it and lapping up his own come.

Ace groaned and buried his face in Marco’s shoulder. He took up his thrusts again, relishing the way Marco still moved with him, his body free of any hypersensitivity now his powers were back. Then Marco clenched around him. Once, twice, and on the third one Ace was biting Marco’s neck as he came, the hand by Marco’s mouth jerking up involuntarily and smearing the remaining come all over Marco’s face.

Ace dropped his hands to the bed to hold himself up as his breathing evened out, then pulled his spent cock out of Marco’s ass and dropped sideways on the bed. Marco dropped face-down next to him, and Ace reached out with an arm to bring him closer. Marco turned around and wrapped himself around Ace, resting his head on Ace’s shoulder. He really _was_ a cuddler, then.

They stayed silent for a long time, Marco resting on Ace while Ace ran his hand up and down Marco’s neck and head, occasionally burying his fingers in his sweaty hair.

“Think the crew would believe it if I told them your ass convinced me to join?” Ace asked. In his dream, they had kept quiet about their relationship, something his dream self had insisted on due to his many insecurities. Even before fully accepting the dreams somehow held truth to them, Ace had decided his dream self had been an idiot about many things.

Marco snorted.

“They don’t know many details, but they know I’m somewhat of a slut.”

Ace snorted.

“ _Somewhat_?”

Marco reached up and pinched one of Ace’s nipples. Ace did _not_ squeak, but he didn’t have a handy power that spared him from post-orgasm oversensitivity. And speaking of post-orgasm… Ace clenched his hand into Marco’s hair and pulled his head up to make eye contact.

“You have your own bathroom, don’t you?” he asked, a rhetorical question at this point.

Marco smirked at him.

“You joining me in the shower?”

Ace tightened his hold further before abruptly letting go at the same time he shoved Marco back. Marco let himself be pushed off the bed and spun on the floor before jumping up to his feet, laughing. Ace jumped off the bed and followed him into the luxury that was a Commander’s private bathroom.


End file.
